A Gardener’s Reading, second of 30 By Christopher Alexander, Sarah Ishikawa, Murray Silverstein (Center for Environmental Structure, 1977) I discovered A Pattern Language several years ago, and immediately resonated with its message that design speaks to our psyches, in and out of the garden – that some spaces can feel welcoming and relaxed, while others are awe-inspiring, imposing or just…
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A Gardener’s Reading: First of 30 By Michael Pollan (Grove Press, 1991) Before The Botany of Desire, before The Omnivore’s Dilemma and Food Rules, Michael Pollan wrote this book of essays on his experiences as a new gardener. This is the book that got me hooked on garden memoirs – and to some degree, gardening itself – back in the…
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A few things I’ve noticed about gardeners over the years: They can be opinionated, they love to learn, and many of them spend winter curled up with a book. I’m among the winter readers – and garden books, with their mix of science, art and the occasional oddball fact are my favorite kind of books to cozy up with on…
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Every year, Minnesota’s Governor’s Residence boasts a beautiful holiday wreath, big and bountiful to compliment the governor’s official home. I was fortunate to observe Diane Lee, who made the governor’s holiday wreath several times during the terms of Gov. Mark Dayton. , Diane has some great ideas for anyone who wants to make an original wreath for their home this…
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Last year, Don Engebretson suggested in Northern Gardener’s perennial column that gardeners shear back some tall, floppy perennials. He wasn’t recommending judicious pinching to encourage bloom and more side growth, but rather grabbing a big ole garden shears and shearing perennial off about halfway from the top in late May or June. His argument was that plants that have a…
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